


Andromeda Burns

by vailkagami



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Dark, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-08-01
Updated: 2008-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-15 03:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7204346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vailkagami/pseuds/vailkagami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Master is unable to let go of the one thing that gives his existence meaning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Andromeda Burns

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Versaphile, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Prydonian](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Prydonian). Deciding that it needed to have a more long-term home, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact the e-mail address on [The Prydonian collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/theprydonian/profile).

Andromeda burns.

An entire galaxy, eaten away by a fire that burns up its suns, its planets and moons and nebulae. Stars turning to supernovas long before their time, taking away their systems and constellations.

It’s not the Master’s doing. It’s not natural either. Disaster happened because no one was there to stop it.

As he watches the fire from a distance the Master thinks it’s beautiful. He convinces himself the sadness it makes him feel is caused by the fact that it wasn’t him who painted this picture in the sky.

The galaxy burns for a million years. The Master watches for ten minutes before the sight begins to bore him.

 

-

 

“It’s beautiful.”

The fire is reflected on the Doctor’s face, making it glow. Making his eyes burn. He doesn’t cast a shadow.

“I thought you hated destruction. Shouldn’t you be crying or something?” The Master doesn’t know why he came back here.

“There is beauty in destruction. In change. A new galaxy will be born from the ashes. It’s sad there will be no one there to see it.” In the Doctor’s eyes there’s nothing but the glow of the inferno. “So many lives lost. This shouldn’t have happened.”

“You could have stopped it.”

“No. I never got the chance.”

“Then don’t be sad. It’s not your fault.”

The Doctor’s expression doesn’t change when he turns to look at the Master.

“I thought you liked seeing me sad.”

“Only when I caused it.”

“You did,” the Doctor mumbles, looking away. “I’m only here because of you.”

 

-

 

Inside the ship it feels like nothing ever happened. The truth of sensation differs from the truth of logic, sense and memory and the Master ignores all that in favour of a body arching beneath his touch and a voice whispering his name over and over.

The Doctor is pleading and the Master decides to misunderstand what for.

 

-

 

Coming to Earth one more time the Master doesn’t try to destroy it, take it over or do any harm to its inhabitants – he doesn’t see what for. Why he came he can only guess. But it might have been the anticipation of the pain in the Doctor’s eyes, at the sight of this world he used to love.

Maybe he still loves it. Yet there is no point to destruction. This world won’t take the Doctor away from him. Nothing will.

Never again.

 

-

 

Humanity is just beginning to walk. The Doctor and the Master are already running. Down the hill, through the high grass, avoiding sticks and stones and holding hands. For a day they are children again.

For a day they laugh about the same things.

For a day Koschei feels Theta’s hand in his even though he doesn’t.

The sunset destroys the illusion. The Doctor’s face looks strange because no shadow falls on it. With the light the laughter also fades and the quiet hurt returns to the Doctor’s eyes. If they stay any longer the Master knows what he will say. He wants to kiss him to shut him up but in this place it would taste like air.

He takes the Doctor back to the TARDIS, refusing to look back at the single trail of footsteps in the grass.

 

-

 

In the TARDIS he kisses the Doctor for she lets him. He imagines she needs this as well and gives substance to the illusion because it’s all they have left.

 

-

 

The fire that consumed Andromeda reaches the Milky-Way two hundred and fifty million years later. It spreads slowly, killing one star after the other.

They are there to watch the day it reaches the sun once circled by Earth. The planet has died a long time ago, when its star expanded. Now Sol is a weak, brown dwarf, the sad echo of a once proud sun, mother of five civilisations. The starfire that kills her galaxy brings back her glory, makes her shine for one last, brief moment, before the light leaves her forever.

The Doctor watches her fade, and smiles.

Before he closes the doors to the sight the Master brushes away his tears. He kisses the wet trails left on the hollow cheeks and tastes salt.

“It will spread,” the Doctor tells him. “Consuming one galaxy after the other. The Magellanic Clouds are already burning. Fornax will be next.”

“Burning away the universe.” The Master things it appropriate. Everything is turning to ashes. New stars are born but of the old cosmos nothing is left. It is still the same cosmos when all the stars he knew are gone?

It doesn’t matter. It’s not _his_ cosmos anymore.

“No,” the Doctor says. “It takes such a long time. The universe will collapse before it even reaches M87.”

The Master kisses his lips, his cheeks.

“The universe already has collapsed,” he breathes against his skin.

 

-

 

“Do you think you could have prevented it, had you been there?”

The Doctor shrugs. “I wasn’t there. I’m not even here.”

The Master touches him until the Doctor shivers beneath his hands. “You are here. Even if you will never be anywhere else.”

“I’m dead,” the Doctor insists, his voice even. “I’m only here because you can’t let me go.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Naked skin touches naked skin and the Master thinks it’s only right that he’s the only one who’ll ever feel it.

“This isn’t real.” His hands are taken, held still. “You are fooling yourself.” Dark, serious eyes stare unblinkingly into his. “Let me go. One day you will have to.”

There are no words in any language to describe the expression on the Doctors face when the Master begins to laugh.

“You’re going to be here by my side as long as I keep you with me.” His fingers trail down the Doctor’s cheek, his neck, his cheek again. “This is he only promise of forever anyone can give you.”

 

 

August 1, 2001


End file.
